“Thank you for braving the cold and thank you for standing up and fighting for freedom,” said Cruz, who was on a roster of speakers that included Sen. Rand Paul (R.-Ky.), Jenny Beth Martin — the leader of the Tea Party Patriots — and members of the House Freedom Caucus. The rally was organized by FreedomWorks, the Washington-based policy and logistics hub for Tea Party and conservative activists. The master of ceremonies was Andrew Wilkow, the host of the XMSirius radio show The Wilkow Majority.